Castro Marim Castle

Castro Marim: Castle

Castelo de Castro Marim on the Guadiana river, the border to Spain

During the Moorish occupation a fortified structure existed, that became the core of the present castle.

Due to the strategic position of the town on border with the kingdom of Castile, Castro Marim became the headquarters of the Order of Christ after the Christian reconquest. The present castle has been erected in the 13. Century during the reign of king D. Afonso III to protect the harbor on the mouth of the Guadiana river. When the order later was transferred to Tomar a long period of decreasing importance and declining population began.